Eagles’ Darren Sproles Has Torn ACL
Darren Sproles‘ outlook for 2017 has gone from bad to worse. In addition to a broken arm, it turns out the running back also suffered a torn ACL on the same play on Sunday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The torn ACL will rule Sproles out for the season, forcing the Eagles to place him on injured reserve. 
Sproles, 34, indicated that 2017 would be his final NFL season. The serious knee injury likely seals that decision for the veteran running back.
In three games this year, Sproles had 15 carries for 61 yards, good for a respectable 4.1 yards-per-carry average. He also caught seven passes for 73 yards. He was expected to have a big role as the Eagles’ pass-catching specialist out of the backfield, but he wasn’t utilized all that much.
The Eagles will move forward with Wendell Smallwood and signed LeGarrette Blount as their top backs while UDFA Corey Clement will be asked to play a larger role. They may want to add a running back to the mix to help replace Sproles’ hands, particularly in light of the team’s overall RB issues in September.
Sproles totaled the most carries of his career last year with 94 and he also caught 52 passes. The 965 yards were the diminutive runner’s third-most in his career.
Eagles RB Darren Sproles Breaks Arm
Darren Sproles left the Eagles’ Week 3 win over the Giants on Sunday with what could be a season-defining injury. The veteran running back is believed to have suffered a broken arm, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Although an MRI is scheduled for Monday, Rapoport notes Sproles is out indefinitely. This is potentially the 34-year-old running back’s final season. He indicated as such late last year but backtracked on confirming it ahead of this season, so a lengthy absence could play a big impact on his decision.
This is the final year of Sproles’ contract. The Eagles have Wendell Smallwood and signed LeGarrette Blount as a free agent. UDFA Corey Clement also saw action today. But Sproles returned as a key performer for the team, and he could well be an IR candidate after this injury. Sproles would join rookie Donnel Pumphrey on IR if the Eagles take that course of action.
The Eagles ran for 193 yards as a team today, with Smallwood contributing 71 yards and Blount 67. But Sproles has primarily served as a receiver out of various backfields in his career, maintaining quality form and a key role despite being in his 13th season.
The former Chargers and Saints weapon is in his fourth season with the Eagles, the past three being Pro Bowl campaigns for his return work. Sproles led all Eagles players with 865 yards from scrimmage last season. He’s returned a punt for a touchdown in each of his three Philadelphia campaigns. Philly parted ways with Ryan Mathews and Kenjon Barner from its 2016 backfield, so a Sproles absence will signal a changing of the guard.
Andrew Luck Could Return By Week 6?
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck could potentially return to the field for Indianapolis’ Week 6 matchup against the division-rival Titans, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
Indianapolis opted not to place Luck on the physically unable to perform list to start the season, as that designation would have forced the 28-year-old signal-caller to miss the first six weeks of the year. Luck hasn’t given anyone in the Colts’ organization any doubt that he’ll be able to play in 2017, per Rapoport.
Indeed, Luck is expected to begin practicing as soon as this week, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, who adds there is “zero thought” that Luck will remain sidelined for the entire season. Luck will likely require a two-to-three week ramp-up period, meaning he could target Weeks 5-7 as possible return dates, per Mortensen.
Already sitting at 0-2 on the season, the Colts face the Browns, Seahawks, and 49ers over the next three weeks before heading to Tennessee.
Chargers Interested In CB Darrelle Revis
The Chargers were among a “handful” of teams that recently contacted free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Los Angeles is in need of defensive back help after losing starting corner Jason Verrett to season-ending surgery, but Schefter reports the Chargers actually reached out to Revis before they placed Verrett on injured reserve. The Chargers currently only have four cornerbacks on their active roster, with starters Casey Hayward and Trevor Williams backed up by Desmond King and Michael Davis.
Revis still intends to play in 2017, per Schefter, although he hasn’t yet met with any clubs. Interest in Revis has been scant, as only two unidentified teams had inquired on Revis prior to the Chargers reaching out. Asking price could be an issue — because Revis is still earning $6MM from the Jets, he’d essentially have to play for free (unless a club is willing to sign him to a $6MM+ deal).
Revis, 32, certainly isn’t the shutdown corner he was in days gone by, but he’s still a viable starting option. He graded out as the league’s No. 64 corner in 2016, per Pro Football Focus, which would place him right at the tail end of acceptable play. However, one general manager told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News he wouldn’t go after Revis even if the veteran cornerback agreed to play “for free.”
Bucs, WR Mike Evans Discussing Extension
The Buccaneers and wide receiver Mike Evans have engaged in preliminary extension negotiations, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
Evans and Tampa Bay are “very early” in the discussion process, cautions La Canfora, and that comes as no surprise given that the Buccaneers have Evans under team control for some time. In what was surely a simple decision, the Bucs exercised Evans’ 2018 fifth-year option at a cost of $13.258MM, and the club could also utilize the franchise tag to retain Evans in 2019.
The franchise tender will likely only be on the table for one season, per La Canfora, as Tampa Bay will need to use the tag as leverage in talks with quarterback Jameis Winston following the 2019 campaign. Extending both Evans and Winston shouldn’t be a financial problem for the Buccaneers, however, as the team ranks in the top-10 in projected available cap space in each of the next three years.
Evans, 24, has lived up to his draft status since being chosen with the seventh overall pick in 2014. He’s topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons, and posted his best overall campaign in 2016, when he put up 96 receptions for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Lions Sign Jim Caldwell To Extension
The Lions and fourth-year coach Jim Caldwell agreed to a multiyear extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding (Twitter link) the sides agreed to this pact months ago.
While it doesn’t automatically guarantee Caldwell will be back with Detroit next season, it will close speculation the coach was in the final year of his contract. Caldwell has fielded questions, telling media (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press) he hadn’t signed an extension, about his contract but did not disclose this deal was already in place.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) the sides agreed to this deal in the spring.
Although Caldwell wasn’t hired by current Lions GM Bob Quinn, he has steered the team to playoff appearances in two of his first three seasons at the helm. The Lions backed into the NFC bracket last season, losing their final three games, but it was the franchise’s first time booking two postseason berths in a three-year span since making the playoffs in 1997 and ’99.
Speculation existed about a Caldwell/Lions parting due to last season’s stretch-run swoon and one-sided wild-card loss to the Seahawks, and the fact Quinn did not select him as coach. While Jeff Fisher‘s 2016 Rams extension helped show how tenuous these agreements can be, Quinn’s enjoyed more success in the Motor City than Fisher did in St. Louis and Los Angeles. That could buy him more time, and there will now be money on his deal past 2017.
Quinn has now authorized 2017 extension for two franchise centerpieces he inherited, with this deal preceding Matthew Stafford‘s August re-up.
The Lions have since started 2-0 this season and are alone atop the NFC North.
Jason Verrett To Have Season-Ending Surgery
Jason Verrett‘s season is over. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Chargers cornerback has decided to undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee. The team is expected to place him on the injured reserve.
This is another tough blow for the former first-rounder, as Verrett has been hindered by injuries throughout his brief career. This current injury is attributed to an ACL tear that limited the cornerback to only four games in 2016. Last week, reports indicated that Verrett was experiencing soreness in the knee, although some expected him to return in several weeks. However, we later heard that there wasn’t a definitive timetable for the 26-year-old’s return.
“It was never right in my opinion, just watching him in practice,” coach Anthony Lynn said at the time. “He’s such a competitor. … But he wasn’t able to play to his standard. So we just want him to get healthy.”
Verrett did appear in the team’s season-opening loss to the Broncos, playing nearly every snap for the Chargers. The Texas Christian product flashed his talent during his lone healthy season in 2015. In 14 games (13 starts), Verrett compiled 47 tackles, 12 passes defended, and three interceptions (including one pick-six).
2016 undrafted free agent Trevor Williams has been starting in Verrett’s place opposite Casey Hayward. The team could look to add some depth at the position, as the team is only rostering a pair of reserves in Desmond King and Michael Davis. They could also promote former third-rounder Craig Mager, who is currently on the team’s practice squad.
Latest On Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott
The Cowboys will have Ezekiel Elliott in uniform when they face the Cardinals on Monday night. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will not hold oral arguments until Monday, October 2, sports attorney Daniel Wallach has learned (Twitter link). 
The NFL was pressing the Fifth Circuit for an emergency stay in the Elliott case, essentially reversing a previous decision from a lower court. The league was hoping for a ruling sooner rather than later, but Roger Goodell & Co. will have to wait longer to see if/when they can enact the six-game suspension on the running back.
Had the league won the decision on Friday, a suspension for Monday night would have been in play. In theory, the league may have even suspended Elliott hours before kickoff with a legal victory during business hours on Monday. Now they won’t have the opportunity to bench Elliott until October, at least. At minimum, we’ll see Elliott on the field through Week 4 when the Cowboys face the Rams.
Vikings’ Sam Bradford Won’t Play Sunday
Sam Bradford‘s knee could be a real problem. The Vikings quarterback is not expected to play on Sunday, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
On Friday, Bradford will get a second opinion today on his left knee from Dr. James Andrews, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. Dr. Andrews performed Bradford’s first two ACL surgeries, so he’s quite familiar with his medical history.
The Vikings’ plan was to have Bradford practice this week and see how his knee responded to treatment. He found himself pretty limited and the Vikings have been forced shelve him once again. It’s not clear what their plan is for Bradford beyond this week. What we do know is that Case Keenum will be getting the start once again in Bradford’s absence. They’ll hope for better results than what they got against the Steelers in Week 2.
Bradford was sharp in the season opener, going 27 of 32 for 346 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings topped Saints 29-19. That’s the kind of quarterbacking the Vikings will need if they hope to make a playoff run this year.
Last year, in his first season with the Vikings, Bradford arguably had a career year. The 29-year-old (30 in November) threw for 20 touchdowns versus only six interceptions while passing for more than 3,800 yards. He also led the league in completion percentage (71.6).
Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Friday
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has yet to rule on the Ezekiel Elliott case, and that could be good news for the running back. The league has petitioned the court with urgent language to quickly deliver a ruling, but the judge is clearly not taking those directives to heart. That doesn’t mean that things will go Elliott’s way, per se, but it could be a prelude to an Elliott victory.
Here’s the latest on Elliott and his legal battle with the NFL:
- The league still won’t rule out suspending Elliott before Monday night’s game against the Cardinals if they win in court, a league spokesman tells PFT’s Michael David Smith. Today marks the last business day of the week, but if the ruling comes down before the lights shut off, commissioner Roger Goodell may put Elliott’s six-game suspension into effect immediately. In theory, if a ruling comes down on Monday, the league could enact the suspension before kickoff. If that’s the case, Elliott will be sidelined for games against the Cardinals, Rams, Packers, 49ers, Redskins, and Chiefs. He would not be eligible to return until Nov. 12 against the Falcons.